Volcanoes Volcanoes in the United States

There are more volcanoes in America and Canada than most people realize. If you count all types: dormant, active, inactive, and extinct, the list of volcanoes in the United States is actually pretty long. A volcano is a rip in the earth's crust typically found along the ridges where tectonic plates converge and diverge. Most volcanoes in North America are located along the west coast along the intersection of the Pacific plate and continental North American tectonic plate. Mount St. Helens (which famously erupted in 1980) and Mount Rainier are the most well-known North American volcanoes– both are active and located in Washington state, but there are many more active volcanoes up in Alaska and down in Hawaii.

No list of volcanoes in the U.S. would be complete without a mention of the Yellowstone Caldera, a supervolcano that is a popular location for doomsday theorists as it could effectively destroy the USA if it ever went off. Fortunately for North American residents, volcanoes can remain dormant for eons. The Yellowstone Caldera hasn't erupted for 640,000 years, which would qualify it to be added to the list of extinct volcanoes.

What are the volcanoes in the United States? Take a look here and you'll see for yourself.